After the Hurricane

fallen branches in McCarren Park

Sunday afternoon, after the brunt of Irene had passes, Boyfriend and I took a little walk through Greenpoint, into Williamsburg, in search of a Bloody Mary and less than an hour wait for one (understandably, with no public transport, a lot of people were not able to get to their jobs and restaurants that were open were very understaffed).

Below is some of what we saw.

Seating Arrangements: Tulip Chair

Every now and then I like to wander over to the Hive Modern website and dream a little dream ...

The Tulip chair is one of those mod dreams. Sigh.

Menu Plan: Week Nineteen

Last week's menu planning was kind of a bust. We only stuck with a couple of days - pretty lame since we were out so many days!

At the urging of my friend Kristin, we're participating in the Real Simple Take Back Dinner Challenge. I think we do pretty well here, especially since Boyfriend does most of the cooking and keeps us fairly on track. But as we hit Week Nineteen, we're running out of steam...  so any inspiration is welcome.

Want: Ray Gun

How very cool is this ray gun shaped ice crusher from the 1930s? Seriously. If your MatchGirl could find one of these not hanging on the wall in a museum, she'd use it daily! Cocktails for everyone!

Opposites Attract

You know how the old adage (and the Paula Abdul song of the same name) goes, gentle readers - opposites attract.

Boyfriend suggested that this would be a good premise for a blog post. To write about how he and I may be opposites, but we get along so well and somehow, make it all work. I touched on it briefly in June, in a post entitled Likes and Dislikes, where I laid out a few things that we each enjoy that the other one does now. From music to food to television shows, there are certainly a lot of things that we don't agree on.

Budget Friendly Cleaning: Bathroom

As you may or may not know, your MatchGirl was raised by parents who could be described as falling somewhere within the "hippie" spectrum. And Boyfriend is from Northern California. To that end, I decided to go back to my roots and try some old, natural and, the best part, cheap methods for doing some cleaning.

Seating Arrangements: Mesh Chair

At the Met the other day, Boyfriend and I came across this wire mesh chair from the 1980s. Except for the material, it looks pretty comfy, don't you think?

Menu Plan: Week Eighteen

Gentle readers, can you believe it? We're up to week eighteen of our menu planning. I wasn't sure we'd keep it going so long.

A quick recap - Week Seventeen saw us thrown off track by a bit. I had the flu, our Tuesday evening plans both got cancelled (good for me, since I was sick) and there was not quite enough pork left for three meals (though Boyfriend did have some for lunch one day). Beach day was cancelled due to clouds and rain, though we spent the day at the Met instead, there were no leftovers to come home to really. But Boyfriend whipped up some yummy nachos with chicken from the freezer, some beans and a quick sauce.

Want: FrankenWeber

This want, gentle readers, is all Boyfriend.

Since he saw this website, he has been talking non-stop about how he wants to make a FrankenWeber, to get the perfect pizza.

Maybe when we have some outdoor space...

Progress: Teamwork

A lovely post from Boyfriend. Enjoy!

There is no I in team. No man is an island. It take two to make this thing go right... We all have heard these cliches, probably we are guilty of uttering them. Funny thing about stuff like this, usually there is truth behind it. As readers of this fine blog already know this Boyfriend has recently found himself in the unemployment line. Ironic, I guess, as your MatchGirl is well know for her other blog Unemployed Brooklyn.

Inspiration: Ricotta Cookies with Cocoa & White Chocolate Chips

Your MatchGirl found this recipe for cookies made with ricotta, cocoa powder and white chocolate chips. While I'm not actually that concerned about lessening the fat content through the use of ricotta, I'm interested in the texture and the taste.

I haven't had a chance to bake them yet, but I think they'll be great.

What's your favorite cookie?

Budget: Money Saving Tips

Gentle readers, your MatchGirl spent most of the weekend curled up in a feverish ball. I just didn't have the energy to go through the receipts and scan them.

So here's what we're doing to save money this week - what we try to do every week, but what we're committed to making happen this week.

Menu Plan: Week Seventeen

Last week, gentle readers, we stuck pretty well to Menu Plan: Week Sixteen, though we switched some days up.

As we're still on a ridiculously tight budget, we thought long and hard about what we would be eating this week, about what we could take for lunches and how we could save some dough.

Want: Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven

The 7 quart. Boyfriend thinks that we need the Lodge 7 quart cast iron Dutch oven before the temperature drops. He says "I will make so many delicious things in that."

He's a good cook. I believe him!

Challenges: Growing

Gentle readers, your MatchGirl has written here before about some challenges that Boyfriend and I face as we negotiate his current unemployed status. And I have written about the challenges we face as we learn each other in a living together environment.

Every relationship goes through tough times.

Road Trip! North Adams, MA

This weekend Boyfriend and I journeyed to North Adams, MA, for the wedding of my old friend Greg and his beautiful bride, Beth. Even though it poured (torrential rains during the outdoor ceremony!), it was a really great time.

Budgeting: Receipts, Week Two

A week's worth of food receipts for Boyfriend and your MatchGirl.

We tried to keep it in check, buying on special at Associated and making use of our pantry items. Missing from the receipts: iced coffee ($3), Friday and two ($6) for Saturday. Also food on the road - egg and cheese for me and breakfast burrito and coffee for Boyfriend ($11) on Saturday.

Menu Plan: Week Sixteen

Gentle readers, your MatchGirl and Boyfriend have been pretty good at staying on plan with the menu plan the past couple of weeks. And, as I type this, Boyfriend is making some spare ribs that he found on super sale last week. An Asian-inspired marinade, with ingredients from the fridge, some broccoli and rice and we'll have an amazing dinner.

Discovered: Bandit Boxed Wine

Bandit, from Three Thieves, has apparently been around for a while now, but your MatchGirl had never tried it before. And, A little bit, I thought Boyfriend was joking when he said we should buy a liter when we were at the wine shop the other night.

Boyfriend knows a good deal about wine, so I'll usually defer to his choice. And I'm glad I did.

Comes juice box size as well, for all those summer picnics and beach days yet to come.

Progress Report: Plaster

 newly plastered box over previously exposed copper pipes

(and yes, we will need to re-paint that part of the brown wall)

Our landlord finally sent the plaster guy to finish up the work in the living room. This means we can (finally!!!) paint! I'm so excited to get this project completed - paint job done, stuff hung on the walls. I think it will really make our apartment feel more like home.

On Freaking Out & Figuring Out

As you have probably figured out by now, gentle readers, Boyfriend lost his job last week. He told me to share it with you here on A Precious Environment (as well as Unemployed Brooklyn, where your MatchGirl first shared the scary news), because this blog is about our life together, about us coming together and growing together and, most importantly, moving forward together.

Budgeting: Receipts

For any of you who are regular readers of Unemployed Brooklyn, you know your MatchGirl and Boyfriend have fallen upon some tough times. So yesterday's menu plan, meal planning in general, is going to be even more important. And instead of a matter of convenience and organization, it will really be a way to make sure we stay on track when it comes to our budget.

Before Boyfriend lost his job, it's not like either of us was pulling in a lot of money, so we were still budget conscious, of course, but now that it's my salary and him dealing with some bureaucracy at the Department of Labor Unemployment Office we need to be even more cognizant of where our pennies go.

Menu Plan: Week Fifteen

It's Monday morning gentle readers, and you know what that means - time for the menu plan. This past week Boyfriend and your MatchGirl did pretty good, veering off plan only on Saturday when I had an old friend unexpectedly in from out of town, so we went out to dinner with him and his hunny and pushed Saturday's meal to Sunday.